Outreach and Enrollment

Family planning safety-net providers play a key role in educating and enrolling patients and community members in health coverage available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Educating uninsured patients about how to obtain health coverage is important for family planning providers because having more patients with insurance broadens revenue streams, thereby making health centers more sustainable. Given that many family planning providers are familiar with providing enrollment services support to their patients, they are uniquely positions to assist with ACA enrollment as well.

The results are tremendous: The US Department of Health and Human Services reports that nearly 18 million individuals have gained health coverage since ACA implementation. Over 55 million women are also benefiting from preventive services coverage, including well-woman exams with no out-of-pocket costs. In 2015, for the first time since the US Department of Health and Human Services began collecting health insurance information for their Family Planning Annual Report, a majority of Title X patients have health insurance. However, here is still a great deal of work to do. As a safety-net program, the levels of uninsured patients in the Title X network will likely remain higher than levels of uninsured individuals at state and national levels, but health centers must continue the important work of educating patients about their health coverage options so those who are eligible can enroll.

NFPRHA's Work

NFPRHA created the Get Covered: Family Planning (GCFP) project to support ACA outreach and enrollment activities conducted by its membership. By offering resources and support for its members, NFPRHA strives to make a significant impact on the number of people who enroll in health insurance every year - either through Medicaid or the marketplace.

Through GCFP, NFPRHA members can receive free, focus-group-tested education and enrollment materials designed specifically for use with patients who are in need of health insurance.  Members also have the opportunity to participate in trainings on in-reach, outreach and effective messaging around enrollment. NFPRHA members and Title X providers who wish to learn more about effective ACA education and enrollment may download the Enrollment in a Box toolkit, a guide to planning and implementing a successful education and enrollment program. 

  NFPRHA's Resources
 

Health Care Reform

 

Resources

Patient Education Materials: NFPRHA has developed ACA education materials using focus-group-tested messages that are geared for use in family planning health centers. Materials include brochures with information for patients about the ACA and insurance enrollment; scripts to help staff who interact with the public to talk effectively about enrollment; posters to draw attention to enrollment efforts taking place in the health center; and more. These materials are available for download in Spanish and English.

Coverage to Care Materials: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have created an initiative called Coverage to Care that includes resources like brochures and posters for newly insured individuals to understand their benefits. They can be ordered here.

Year-round Enrollment Strategies: Log-in required to view this resource.

Social Media toolkits: Log-in required to view this resource.

Staff training: Log-in required to view this resource.

Enrollment support: Log-in required to view this resource.

 

National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association

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Phone: 202-293-3114  |  info@nfprha.org

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